The city of St. Augustine is rolling out the red carpet for its Community Redevelopment Agency's (CRA) silver anniversary, capping off a 25-year crusade to revamp the city's historic core, two other key neighborhoods. Locals are extended an invite to join the festivities on October 9 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm at the Historic Downtown Parking Garage rooftop at 1 Cordova Street, as per city announcement. With a lineup featuring The Palmetto Pickers and an array of activities, the celebration is primed to be an engaging evening.
Entertainment will be in full swing starting at 5:30pm with The Palmetto Pickers belting out country, rock, and blues. A spin-to-win prize wheel, photo booth bus, and pizza stand to fortify the merriment. To sweeten the deal, Old Beach Bike Riders Association, Inc. steps in to offer a complimentary bike valet service for those pedaling in. They're nudging attendees to choose a bike ride or a leisurely walk over, but if driving is a must, the Historic Downtown Parking Garage has parking covered at $5 for non-residents and $3 for St. Johns County residents, according to an official release.
Since its establishment in 2000, HACRA, St. Augustine's first CRA district, has honed in on breathing new life into 218.8 acres of downtown. The nuts and bolts of this development saga feature the municipal parking garage construction, promoting walkability, and dialing back traffic within the downtown sprawl. Such strides underscore the CRA's central charter – to rekindle and retain the area's pulse. To dive deeper into the CRA's blueprint for HACRA, Lincolnville, and West City, the curious are invited to visit the agency's website for plans and progress reports.
As required by state mandate, transparency rings true for the CRA, with the latest Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report readily available to the public. For those itching to peruse the finer details, the annual report awaits on the CRA's web portal.
